Time Well Spent
by janeshepard
Summary: Friends from childhood, Orihime and Rukia slowly gravitate to lovers. Alternate Universe, One Shot.


AN: Hey guys, this is my first fic in like five years so be gentle. I was inspired by Mary's Song by Taylor swift. This doesn't follow the story of that but it spurred the idea :) cross posting here from my AO3 account.

Tonight she was too fast for Rukia to catch; usually this wasn't the case. Although Rukia was smaller than Orihime, she was nine years old—two years older than Orihime—and much faster. But Orihime had been practicing; tonight was the night she finally impressed her by beating her to the trees!

"Wait Orihime!" The shorter girl called after her, stumbling over uneven ground. "Let me catch up!"

But Orihime was too far to hear her now; she smiled widely and laughed as the cool evening breeze caught her hair and whipped it across her face. The combination of the air blowing and the competition brewing was enough to throw her into somewhat of a frenzy; she was going to reach the treeline years before Rukia! She knew it!

Orihime pushed her legs harder than ever before, and she started to breathe heavier as she extended her hand, anticipation thick in her thoughts. When her skin hit the rough texture of the bark, she cried out in disbelief. "I win! I win!"

Rukia wasn't far behind her; though she had lost, she never slowed down. He small palm smacked into the bark seconds after Orihime's. "Yeah, yeah. You beat me this time." Irritation came over her features and she crossed her arms and looked away. She stayed silent for a moment as Orihime took notice of her demeanor.

"Don't be mad Rukia; we can run again if you want to. I bet you'll win this time." The taller girl started to wind her hair around her fingers, nervous that Rukia was mad. She knew what happened when she got angry; just that afternoon she had gotten in trouble for punching Ichigo when he beat her to the slide at recess.

"I'm not mad." Rukia said, obviously miffed. She glanced at Orihime, smiling as she bolted in a new direction. "First one to the fence is the _real_ winner!" She called back, a new challenge in her tone.

Orihime smiled, taking off after her, glad she was apparently forgiven. She had already expended all of her energy on the first sprint, and since Rukia had a head start she easily beat her. Her hands were planted firm on her hips, celebrating her victory before the red head had even approached the fence.

"Looks like I'm still the best!" She said, a laugh following her proclamation. Orihime smiled at her, laughing along.

"You are." She agreed as she came to a stop in front of her. She folded her hands over each other in front, smiling down at the older girl. Suddenly, Rukia turned her gaze, settling her eyes upon a small flash of light in the darkening night.

"Look! It's a firefly." She slowly yet excitedly began to follow the flashes, her hands held out in front of her as if to grab it. "Let's catch it! I wanna show it to my brother."

Orihime smiled, turning to follow her. She had never tried to catch the bug before, but she had watched them with her brother from the porch. They were so pretty she couldn't believe it. They wandered after the bug, ending up in the backyard of her house. It was easy to go from her yard to Rukia's; there was no fence to separate them.

Eventually they lost the firefly; it had flown into the trees, and they weren't allowed in the trees. Rukia wanted to follow, but Orihime was too scared to go in.

"Orihime!" Called Sora, unseen from the front porch. The girls sighed at the same time, knowing their fun was over now. Evening had become night, and that meant it was time to go inside.

"I'll walk you home." Rukia said, offering her hand to the taller girl. "This way we can stay together a little longer." Orihime took it, smiling before they turned and walked towards the house.

Orihime blew hard, all but one of her candles going out. "Haha Orihime has a boyfriend!" Mahana gleefully cried, pointing at the birthday girl. Orihime turned beet read as she tried her best to blow out that final, stupid candle. On her third whoosh, it extinguished.

"I do not!" She said, frazzled at the comment. Her friends laughed at her reaction, her red cheeks adding to the show.

"All right now," Sora began, smiling at his sister, "that's enough teasing I think." Orhime sighed in relief as her brother came to her rescue, as he had so many times before. More than she could ever count or thank him for.

He reached for the silver knife, cutting her birthday cake into pieces for the party goers. 'Happy 12th Birthday Orihime!' it said in big pink letters; she hadn't asked for pink, but her brother knew that's what she would have wanted. Though she pretended to hate it like the other girls, it was still one of her favorite colors.

Cake was passed around the table—Orihime receiving the largest slice—and conversation continued as it had before dinner had finished. Presents were starting to come out now, and Orihime excitedly began to rip off the paper and untie the ribbons. Among her favorites was a set of makeup from Chizuru and a cuddly rabbit plush from Rukia. She graciously thanked everyone for their gifts, and Sora beamed to see his sister maturing so well. He had never been entirely sure he was raising her right; he was too young to be a parent, but necessity often reared it's ugly head. As he watched her, he knew he had done well. She was a beautiful young lady anyone would be proud of.

The kids migrated to the living room after a while, and to Orihime's horror a scary movie was selected and put in the dvd player.

"Don't be scared Orihime." Tatsuki said, scooting closer to her side. "I'll be right here the whole time." Rukia smiled at the red head as well, bunching up all her blankets and pillows in her arms so she could walk over to Orihime.

"Count me in." She smiled widely at the birthday girl, plopping down on her other side. Orihime smiled back at them, not saying anything as the movie began.

At some point during, Sora came into the living room and announced that he was done cleaning the kitchen and was going to get some sleep. He asked once more if anyone wanted to go home, and hearing no replies, kissed Orihime on her forehead before walking up the stairs. Once he was gone, Orihime felt a little more unsettled. He was her shield, and without his presence, the movie got a whole lot scarier.

During a jumpscare, she screamed. Her hand quickly clamped over her mouth, worry that she had woken her brother clouding her thoughts. Every girl in the room had the same idea as five sets of eyes turned to look at the staircase, the movie completely forgotten. A minute passed, no movement or sound came from upstairs, and a unified sigh of relief seemed to pass over the room. Orihime blushed, looking into her lap as her embarrassment grew. She wasn't a little girl anymore, but she still couldn't watch a scary movie without freaking out.

To her surprise, a small hand reached out and took hers in the darkness. Her eyes widened at the touch; she knew it could only be Rukia's. No one else was that tiny. She turned her head to the left, and met her violet eyes. She was smiling, an encouraging look on her face. Orihime smiled widely back, feeling immediately better as her support became stronger. Neither said a word, so no one was aware of their quiet exchange.

She turned back to the movie, and Rukia tightened her grasp. She was still scared, but the movie seemed to go a lot faster and without any more outbursts with Rukia holding her to reality.

When the movie ended and the credits rolled, Chizuru got up and stopped the film while Mahana turned the lights back on. Rukia's hand slithered away, and Orihime piled hers in her lap.

"That movie was lame." Mahana said, stretching her arms wide above her head. "Made me really sleepy."

Tatsuki laughed from Orihime's right, standing as well. "Me too." She agreed, gathering her pillows and blankets to make a bed on the floor by Orihime. There were murmurs of agreement as yawns carried over the room. Orihime didn't believe them though; there was no way none of the other girls weren't as scared as she had been!

Regardless, she too began to spread her bedding out on the floor. Even though she could sleep in her bed, she always felt bad leaving her friends on the floor while she was comfortable. Rukia too began making her bed on the left, and Orihime was secretly glad she would have a friend on either side of her all night.

Once everyone was ready, Mahana hit the light and ran back to her bed. So maybe she was more scared than she let on; Orhime smiled, feeling a little better.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but deep breathing and light snores were now all around her in the air. Orihime still wasn't able to sleep after watching the movie. The time on the oven looked like 2 something to her, but she wasn't really sure because it was so far away. She wished she wasn't too old to crawl in bed with her brother anymore. She would feel safe if she was next to him.

She rolled over, now looking at the back of Rukia's head. Her medium hair was raven black, and fell in interesting patterns over the pillow. She began to trace them with her eyes, pretending that there was a thick red line outlining every strand. She started to grow drowsy, but didn't quite fall asleep before Rukia had turned, her peaceful face now filling Orihime's vision.

It was familiar to her, just as Tatsuki's was, or Sora's. They had been friends since her older sister Hisana and her husband Byakuya had moved into the house next door. At first it was just a fun fact that they were both being brought up by their siblings, but after time, it had turned into a bonding trait. It was something they shared and understood; Rukia was the only person who would really get it when she spoke about it. Not that Tatsuki wasn't a good listener, but she just didn't have the experience that Rukia did. That, mixed with Rukia's loyalty and personality made her one of Orihime's absolute closest friends.

She began to trace over her sleeping features the same way she had traced over her hair. Slowly, outlining them with a red line. She started at the top of her forehead and moved down, taking notice of every imperfection; a light scar across her forehead from falling out of a tree many years ago, dehydrated lips, and a string of drool slowly dripping down her chin. But, she was still beautiful. Her eyelashes were long and dark, and her cheeks seemed to angle at the perfect points, yet still remained soft. She was pretty; Orihime had always thought so. From when they were young she always registered this in her mind. Her beauty wasn't the kind that would make her jealous, or sad at her own appearance; it was different. She saw Rukia in the way one would see the stars in the night sky. Bright, confident, and endlessly shining.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

 **Rukia** : _He just won't lay off. No matter what I do it's never good enough and I just want to scream._

 **Orihime:** _I'm sorry. I know he's overbearing and I wish that he would stop. I wish I could help._

 **Rukia:** _I know._

 **Rukia:** _Thank you._

Orihime hadn't texted her back yet after that. It had been nearly fifteen minutes now, and she still wasn't sure what to say. Rukia was upset again about her brother; he was so strict and proper it drove Rukia up a wall. Things had only gotten worse since Hisana had fallen ill. This was a common conversation, and Orihime wished she could fix it. That was the worst part; she knew she couldn't do anything but listen and comfort. But, if that's all she could do, she would do her absolute best.

She put on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, reading 11:34 on the alarm clock atop her bedside table. She really should be getting to bed soon; her brother liked to be up early on Saturday mornings. They watched cartoons together and ate pancakes, just as they had every Saturday the past ten or so years. Orihime hit the lights, and her tired feet carried her to bed. Once she was bunched up in the covers, she pulled out her phone again. The bright light blinded her in the darkness, and she quickly dimmed the setting.

After opening the text conversation, she poised her thumbs over the buttons and began to type.

 **Orihime:** _I'm always here if you need to talk okay Rukia? I know it's tough sometimes, and frustrating, but I know you can get through it. Only one more year until_ _you're eightee-_

Her phone buzzed as she typed, and a new message from Rukia had popped up.

 **Rukia:** _Come to your window._

Orihime's heart skipped a beat as she realized the text could only mean one thing. She didn't even bother to delete what she had started texting; she snapped her phone shut and tried to quietly hop out of bed. She fought the urge to scream as she saw a dark figure outside the curtains; it had always scared her, the idea of people outside her window. But, she knew who it was. She chanted Rukia's name in her head as she pulled the faded pink curtains aside and gazed into a familiar face. Her hands pushed the window up, and a cold breeze crossed her skin and raised goosebumps wherever it touched.

Silence fell over them, before Rukia smiled at the taller girl. "Hi." She said quietly.

"Hi." Orihime said, smiling back. Her relief came too soon though, as a frown quickly crossed Rukia's tired face again.

"Wanna come for a walk?" The dark haired girl whispered through the screen, unsure of what Orihime's answer would be. She had never asked her to sneak out before; this was off limits territory. Orihime was a good, responsible girl. She finished her homework, was in extracurriculars, and cooked dinner each night for her brother. She was straight out of some fairytale, and followed her role well.

Orihime bit her bottom lip; her mind drifted to her brother, asleep upstairs and completely trusting. She didn't like to lie to Sora; she rarely had any reason to. She was completely open with him, and had little to hide anyhow. But, Rukia was hurting. And Rukia was just as important to her as her brother.

Orihime couldn't stand it when Rukia was upset. With a deep breath she nodded, and moved her steady hands to remove the screen from its frame. Rukia smiled lightly and took a step back, giving the girl some room to crawl out of the now empty space.

She took a deep breath and slid one bare leg out into the chilly night, retracting it almost immediately. "Sorry." She whispered in the general direction of Rukia, quickly moving around the bedroom to find what she was looking for; the sweatpants and hoodie she had worn the day before. After quickly sliding them on (and a wave of relief realizing her perfume had stuck to the fabric) she approached the window again and restarted her journey out.

Rukia extended a hand, grabbing Orihime's to steady her on the way out. Orihime thanked her, and let go after she was firmly planted on the ground. She slid the window down, grateful it was sticky enough to leave a small crack near the bottom; there was no way she was gonna take a chance at not being able to open it again.

They started to walk then, slowly down the sidewalk of their quiet, empty neighborhood. Neither of them said a thing; Orihime was waiting for Rukia to start, since there was obviously something on her mind. She could always tell when Rukia was thinking too hard; a wrinkle appeared between her brows and she would stare straight at the ground. If it was particularly gnawing at her, she would look like she was about to explode. The shorter girl was about halfway between mild thought and serious pondering.

Orihime extended her hand, and Rukia took hold of it without much thought. The pair had always held hands, ever since they were little and playing house. It didn't hold much of a meaning, just a comforting gesture.

Rukia knew that Orihime was aware she wanted to speak then; it was as though her hand was a silent nudge, and a gentle reassurance. _Take your time_ , she said. _I have all night._

They walked for quite some time; Orihime had no idea how long, or how late it was. She had left her phone tangled in the covers of her bed. In retrospect, not the best idea. But, it was too late now.

The girls finally made it to a nearby park; they had spent a lot of time here as children. Orihime could still remember it all so clearly. The memory that stood out most though was the time Rukia convinced her to jump off of the swing and she had broken her ankle. Rukia had felt so bad that she carried all of Orihime's books and supplies the whole time she was in crutches. She wouldn't let anyone else take a turn, not that Orihime minded.

"Wanna swing?" Rukia said, her mind perhaps lost in the same memory. Orihime nodded and they walked to the swing set; they did little more than lazily sway in the seats when they sat.

Silence fell over them again. Orihime wasn't so used to the silence; Rukia was an outspoken person, and if she had something to say she would say it. This was a change of character. She turned her head and smiled gently at Rukia.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Orihime asked, as though the subject had already been brought up. Rukia smiled, looking down.

"You can read me like a book." She said, pushing off the ground a little heavier. She settled into a low swing, staring at the sky.

"Yup." Orihime replied, kicking off much the same and joining her. "I'm glad I can."

"Well, I know it's not what you're thinking this time. It isn't about Byakuya." Rukia said, confusing Orihime in the slightest.

"I thought that's why you wanted to walk around though." She said, turning to look at Rukia. Her hair was flowing back and forth with the movement of the swing, and it very much reminded her of a younger, fearless girl who didn't have a care in the world.

"Well, kinda." Rukia retorted, turning to meet Orihime's gaze. "I wanted to get out of the house yeah, but I also wanted to see you, not text you." Her cheeks were beginning to turn pink from the exercise, and Orihime couldn't help but find it cute. She had always found Rukia's blushes adorable; it was a pleasant look on someone who could be so fiery.

"I'm always glad to see you too." Orihime said, beaming at the girl opposite her. Rukia looked back at the stars again.

It was quiet again, and they both just enjoyed the others company. "I think I'm glad to see you for a different reason."

That wasn't quite what Orihime had expected; the pieces clicked and the butterflies were back again. She quit swinging, and slowly came to a stop as she looked at Rukia. Her cheeks were redder now, and Orihime recognized it as an actual blush. She felt her face grow hot as well.

"Do you mean that?" Orihime quietly asked, and Rukia also let her swing come to a slow, and eventually a halt.

"Yes." She said, nervous. She chanced a look at Orihime, and then back to her lap. "Does that disgust you?" She asked quietly, obviously having put some thought into how this conversation may go.

"No." Orihime replied quickly, smiling wide. Rukia, having heard the tone of her voice turned her head, a little surprise apparent on her face. "No, I think I might like seeing you for the same reason." The words were a little hard to push out, and embarrassing, but it was the truth. Ever since they were little, Rukia was different to her than her other friends. She wasn't exactly a friend, or family. She was more than either of those; a partner.

Orihime quickly stood from her seat and crossed the distance between them in a second, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl in a huge hug. Rukia reciprocated after a moment, and they stayed like that for a long time, just holding each other.

Things would be different now, that was definitely true. It was a comfortable different though; natural. Fate has been set long ago, and had been gently nudging them towards this conclusion ever since. They were drawn together, like two pieces of the same puzzle, and now that they had found the other, the rest of the picture could finally begin.


End file.
